The central government, irked by the election of a new Okinawa governor opposed to its plan to build a new military base in the Henoko district of Nago, has indicated that the prefecture's development budget for fiscal 2015 could be less than it originally requested.

However, the government has also said it plans to increase construction-related funding in the next fiscal year for the base, which will serve as a replacement facility for U.S. Marine Corps Air Station Futenma in central Okinawa.

At a press conference earlier this week, Shunichi Yamaguchi, state minister for Okinawa and Northern Territories affairs, said the 2015 budget for Okinawa revitalization may be below the ¥379 billion sought by the prefectural government last year.